Chapter 155 - Mr. Lion (1)

I was drinking something resembling green tea at a tea shop near the administrative agency. Joining me were Shahvin, a grade-seven administrative officer, and her best friend Lagna.

This wasn't our first gathering, either...

Since getting acquainted through that sewer job, we'd met a few times for meals and tea at Shahvin's suggestion. About once a month, to be precise.

"Oh! When you head back later, please share these with your teammates. They're from a new cookie shop near our agency, and they're incredibly popular these days."

"... I will. Thanks for thinking of us."

Most of our conversations at these gatherings were pointless small talk, but there was a simple reason I kept attending. Useful information occasionally came up.

"Oh, right! Did I tell you? It looks like they're going to abolish the system that reduces magic crystal exchange fees based on years of service."

"How certain is that?"

"Our office manager thinks it's almost certain to pass."

Goddammit.

For someone who hadn't even completed his first year, that news was a bolt from the blue.

"When do you think it'll take effect?"

"Hmm, next year at the earliest, or the year after at the latest?"

"That's some consolation, at least."

As always, once the useful topic was exhausted, we returned to everyday chatter. Then, just as I started getting bored, Shahvin invariably offered another helpful tidbit. By our second gathering, I'd realized it wasn't a coincidence.

'What am I, some animal she's training?'

Shahvin clearly knew that without bait like this, I had no reason to attend these dull gatherings.

'... And she's probably going to all this trouble because of her.'

"How about you, Lagna? Has anything been happening lately?"

The librarian, Lagna Litaniel Pefroch.

I hadn't noticed at first, but her social skills were practically nonexistent. Maybe that was why Shahvin wanted me to become good friends with her.

Did she think she was her mother or something?

"Nothing in particular."

"I see. Is there anything you'd like to say to Bjorn? You've been awfully quiet this whole time."

"Something I'd like to say... Perhaps there is one thing."

"Oh, really? Then get it off your chest. You're friends already, aren't you?"

Sharon looked at me as she said that. I sighed silently and nodded.

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

We'd shaken hands and promised to be friends at our first gathering. Honestly, I wasn't sure what that even meant...

But what could I do? Working at the administrative agency, Shahvin knew plenty of things that could help me. Not only that, she sometimes offered me ridiculously lucrative jobs that didn't involve sewers. All I could do was flop around like a fish she'd already hooked.

"Friends..."

Had my words given her courage? Lagna, who'd stayed quiet throughout the conversation, stared at me with her usual expressionless face. Then she murmured as though admonishing me.

"B-Bjorn Jandel. You mustn't neglect your reading."

"Ah, I've been busy lately."

That wasn't an empty excuse. I hadn't had a single proper day off since leaving the Labyrinth.

"Then... are you coming tomorrow?"

"If I can wrap up today's business."

There was still the matter of the Dragonslayer Sword, but I had nothing to do on that front until Crovits arranged a meeting. Once I'd finished recruiting a mage, I could finally relax for a while.

On that note...

"Lagna Litaniel Pefroch."

It was time to get down to business. It was hardly an exaggeration to say this was the real reason I'd attended despite my busy schedule.

"If you have something to say, please say it. Get it off your chest. We're f-friends, aren't we?"

"Of course you are!"

When Lagna brought up the word "friends" herself, Shahvin chimed in with a pleased smile.

Okay, the stage was set.

"Would you consider becoming an explorer?"

"... The same offer as last time."

"Yes."

I'd made this offer once before, but things were a little different now. Our team was much more well-rounded, and now we were officially friends—

"N-no! What are you saying?!"

While I was waiting for Lagna's answer, Shahvin shouted as though I'd hit some panic button. I hadn't expected that.

"Lagna? You're going to refuse, right? Of course you are. You know what the Labyrinth is like!"

I'd miscalculated. I'd thought Shahvin would help me, saying that explorer work would be good life experience. She seemed to know dozens of explorers, after all. I'd assumed she wouldn't have much aversion to exploration.

That was why I'd brought it up while all three of us were together in the first place. I hadn't imagined she'd be the first to shoot me down.

"... Shahvin, don't be so frightened. I'm not going anywhere."

Lagna gently took Shahvin's hand. Apparently coming back to her senses, Shahvin sat down again, looking embarrassed. I smacked my lips bitterly.

"So you're turning me down."

"Yes. I like my work at the library."

She liked being a librarian...

I remembered too clearly how she'd gazed into the distance and asked who would ever take an interest in that place to simply believe her. It made more sense to assume she had some reason she couldn't leave.

'So that one's a dead end.'

I was disappointed. Over the course of our gatherings, I'd learned that her mage rank was incredibly high. She was at least rank five. And she was still young, with room to grow?

'Well, I suppose someone like that working as a librarian in the first place means there's a story behind it.'

I put my lingering regrets aside. It was a shame to miss out on someone so talented, but there was nothing I could do right now. We weren't close enough for her to readily explain her circumstances even if I asked.

"Oh, but didn't your team already have a mage, Bjorn? The one who used to be an administrative mage..."

Shahvin had returned to her usual self by the time she asked. I answered briefly.

"He's dead."

"Oh..."

That brought today's gathering to an end.

* * *

After our little "gathering of friends," I headed to the Magic Tower. It was my first visit in about two months.

Wow. Had it already been that long since I'd finished helping with her research?

"Huh? Mr. Jandel?"

"It's been a while. May I come in?"

"Well, go ahead."

Raven's private laboratory hadn't changed since my last visit. Mountainous stacks of papers and all kinds of magical ingredients lay scattered everywhere.

Couldn't she tidy up a little...?

"Don't just put those anywhere. Give them here. I can't lose track of where things are."

Hmm. Was the logic that she didn't need to tidy up because she remembered where everything was? Maybe it made sense in its own way.

"So what brings you here? You haven't shown your face in two months."

The question came the moment I handed Raven the papers that had been on the chair and sat down. At first, she'd at least brought me water in a flask.

Was this because we no longer had a business relationship?

Well, I welcomed the short introduction. No amount of groundwork or flattery would influence this woman's decision anyway. If the outcome was already set, I might as well save time.

"I have a proposal for you."

"Let's hear it."

"There's an opening for a mage on the new team I'm putting together."

"In other words, you're trying to recruit me again?"

Raven chuckled. It was a completely different reaction from last time, when she'd immediately turned serious. Then again, that had been before I'd even earned the epithet Little Valcan.

"Mr. Jandel, do you remember what I told you then?"

"You wanted every team member to be at least rank six, preferably with a priest as well."

"And? How did that turn out?"

I gave her an honest rundown of the members. After first explaining that we didn't have a priest, I started with Misha, a rank-seven melee damage dealer.

"Hmm. Rank seven?"

"She'll be promoted to rank six within the month anyway, so don't worry about that."

She still looked skeptical, so I went ahead and listed the ranks of Misha's Essences. That eased her expression.

"In that case, fair enough."

Aynar was next. Since they'd cleared the Blood-Tinted Castle together, there was no need for a lengthy explanation.

"You're saying that so confidently, but she's rank nine? Actually, why is she still rank nine? She absorbed the Bone Knight's Essence back then, didn't she?"

"Same as Misha Karlstein. She hasn't had time to apply for a promotion."

That wasn't an excuse; it was the truth. By now, the two women who'd had a huge fight yesterday would have visited the Explorer Guild to apply for promotions. Aynar would get at least rank seven. She had a rank-seven Essence and, on top of that, a rank-four one.

"She inherited a rank-four Essence...? That does change things."

"She may be rank seven on paper, but you can safely consider her rank six. I've fought her myself to judge that, so you don't need to doubt me."

"I'll be the judge of that. So, who's the last member?"

"Avman Urigfried. A rank-five explorer from the Black Bear Tribe. He uses a large crossbow."

When I also told her about his tank summon, Raven's expression shifted slightly.

"Someone like that would be welcome anywhere. How did he end up on your team, Mr. Jandel?"

"We had a connection. He said I seemed like someone who at least wouldn't stab his teammates in the back."

"True... You are trustworthy in that respect."

Raven accepted that surprisingly easily and moved on. But after hearing the entire lineup, she apparently had another question.

"What about a scout?"

Finally, the question I'd been waiting for. How you presented information could change the impression it made. I answered casually, as though I'd only just remembered.

"Ah, I forgot to mention. Urigfried is a Guide."

"... Is that true?"

"Do I need to swear an oath for you to believe me?"

"No, it's not that..."

I chuckled and squared my shoulders confidently. Then I tossed aside the faint stirrings of my conscience.

'Right. It's not like I lied, is it?'

Mister Bear was a Guide. He just had a terrible sense of direction.

Anyway, once I revealed that Mister Bear was a Guide, everything went smoothly. She did pretend to deliberate, perhaps for the sake of her pride...

"It'll be a good opportunity for you, too. Aren't you always grumbling about being short on money? Our initial goal is to reach the sixth floor. Once our expeditions get properly underway, money won't be an issue."

"Hmm."

"As you can see from our lineup, just any mage won't do. We need someone skilled, like you."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, and one more thing. With a Guide, we'll have opportunities to enter ruptures and discover hidden spaces in the Labyrinth. Surely a proper mage like you understands the value of that?"

"Hmmm."

After a little more persuasion, Raven set aside her pride and nodded.

"All right. If you're going to ask that desperately."

I'd more or less expected this outcome. She hadn't rejected the recruitment offer outright, after all. If she'd had no interest in exploration to begin with, she wouldn't have listened to this much of my pitch.

"But I have one condition."

"... Let's hear it."

"Exploration will always come second for me. My magical research comes first."

"Keep it simple."

"If I find something to research, I might take a month or two off. I might even leave altogether. I'd like you to understand that, Mr. Jandel."

I'd been nervous, but it wasn't an unreasonable demand. It wasn't as though we were a formal clan. Sudden vacancies were common in this line of work, especially when it came to haughty mages.

Yes, this was downright reasonable.

"Fine. Just let me know in advance. If you're leaving for good, I'll need to find a new mage. If it's only a month or two, I can simply hire a mercenary."

"Yes. Then we're settled."

And so our final member was decided.

Allua Raven. A rank-six orthodox mage of the Altemion School.

"So now we're really teammates?"

"I look forward to working with you."

Recruitment successful.

* * *

We talked briefly afterward. We'd laid the groundwork for a team, but the team itself wasn't formed yet.

"I'd like us all to get together, register the team with the guild, and discuss how to split the earnings. When would be good for you?"

Teams frequently fell apart at the meeting stage, so I wanted to arrange it as soon as possible. I figured time would be tight if I needed to find another member.

Unfortunately, the final meeting was delayed by more than a week.

"I'm putting the finishing touches on my paper about the Vampire Guardian. Everything, including publication through the academic society, will be finished next week, so I'd prefer to meet around then."

I decided to look on the bright side. If she weren't finishing until next month, she wouldn't even have considered hearing my offer. The timing had worked out well in several ways. Honestly, with her qualifications, she could have found a better team than ours if she'd wanted.

"Then let's meet on the seventeenth. I'll discuss the time and place with the others and send you a letter."

"I'd appreciate that."

After that conversation, I left the Magic Tower and met with Misha, then Mister Bear. Once we'd settled on a time and place, I returned to my lodgings and got some proper rest.

The next day, I visited the library. After that, life continued uneventfully, without any major incidents.

"Woooow!! I've never seen such a gigantic mace!!"

I sparred with Aynar to practice my (True) Gigantification Mode, for instance.

"You already bought me cotton candy, and now you're buying me this too? Bjorn, are you some kind of shaman's jar?"

"I'm not buying it for you. It's an investment... No, a loan. You'll have to pay it all back once you earn some money."

The three of us, including Misha, visited Commelby to upgrade Aynar's equipment.

"What about your old lodgings? Not many places let you cook, do they?"

"Forget it. I'm buying all my meals from now on, nyah. She steals all my food every day anyway, nyah!!"

Misha moved into the room next door, which had conveniently become vacant.

"You've been going into the Labyrinth alone all this time? You lied to me?"

"D-darling. I-I'm sorry. Spare me...! Think of the baby in your belly!"

When the three of us visited Mister Bear's tavern, Misha carelessly let something slip, and Mister Bear nearly died.

The days passed, filled with such peaceful little moments.

And then...

[23 : 59]

With one minute remaining until midnight ushered in the fifteenth, I lay comfortably on my bed.

「The character's soul resonates and is drawn into a particular world.」

Once again, that time had come.